MOMBASA, Kenya – U.S. Navy snipers opened fire and killed three pirates holding an American captain at gunpoint in a lifeboat, delivering the skipper unharmed and ending a five-day high-seas hostage drama on Easter Sunday.

The pirates were pointing AK-47s at Capt. Richard Phillips and he was in "imminent danger" of being killed when the commander of the nearby USS Bainbridge made the split-second decision to order his men to shoot, Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said.

Phillips' crew, who said they had escaped the pirates after he offered himself as a hostage, erupted in cheers aboard their ship in Mombasa, Kenya. Some waved an American flag and fired flares in celebration. A lawn sign in the captain's hometown of Underhill, Vermont that read "Pray for Captain Phillips' release and safe return home" was changed to read, "Capt. Phillips rescued and safe..."

Paying ransom only encourages more piracy, and enables criminals to gain even more control of what passes for government is Somalia.

Gads, what a hell-hole that place is! They recently sold out tickets at a soccer stadium to watch a 14 year old girl be stoned to death for unchastity. The brazen little hussy had dared let herself be raped!!!

Sorry if I sidetracked. Anyway, a huge Bravo Zulu to the U.S. Navy seals. (You Navy vets will know what that means!)

I understand a lot of ships from NATO countries are on there way down there. One article I read said that the pirates had released a statement that they hadn't killed anyone, they only wanted ransom. Now they are swearing revenge on the US and France for the action they've taken in the last week.

I saw this on someone's news scroll, musclebound US Navy must learn how to swat flies.

Here's an update: Somali pirates hijack 4 ships, take 60 hostages MOMBASA, Kenya – Somali pirates captured four ships and took more than 60 crew members hostage in a brazen hijacking spree, while the American captain freed from their grip planned to reunite with his crew and fly home Wednesday to the United States.

Pirates have vowed revenge for the deaths of three colleagues at the hands of U.S. snipers rescuing Capt. Richard Phillips , as well as for two others slain by French forces in a separate rescue last week.

"Our latest hijackings were meant to show that no one can deter us from protecting our waters from the enemy because we believe in dying for our land," Omar Dahir Idle, a pirate based in the coastal town of Harardhere, told The Associated Press by telephone. "The recent American operation, French navy attack on our colleagues or any other operation mean nothing to us."

The top U.S. military officer said Tuesday he takes such comments seriously...

Paying ransom only encourages more piracy, and enables criminals to gain even more control of what passes for government is Somalia.

Gads, what a hell-hole that place is! They recently sold out tickets at a soccer stadium to watch a 14 year old girl be stoned to death for unchastity. The brazen little hussy had dared let herself be raped!!!

Did they really sell tickets? I didn't hear about that part. The one thing that is slightly heartening about the story is some people at the stadium did try to stop it, but were forced back by the gunfire of the militia group who arranged for the execution.

That's the problem with Somalia. No government, and lots of warring factions. It means there really is no practical way to control Somalian piracy, short of invading a country with practically nothing going for it to begin with.